Piano.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BELA K. KORIK, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

PIANO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,396, dated March24, 1903.-

Application filed June 27, 1901. Serial No. 66 197l (No model.)

T0 at whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, BELA K. KORIK, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention has for its object to increase Vibration and impart greaterbrilliancy -of tone quality to the short treble strings of pianos,especially those of the upright type, said invention consisting incertain peculiarities of construction and combination of partshereinafter particularly set forth withreference to the accompanyingdrawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings representsa vertical sectional view of aportion of a piano provided with my improvements, and Fig. 2 anelevation of the same.

Referring by letter to the drawings illustrating so much of a pianoascomes within the scope of my invention, A indicates the wrest-piece;B, the sounding-board; O, the string-plate; D, the wrest-piece bridge;E, the sounding board bridge; F, the short treble strings; G, thetuning-pins for said strings, and H the agraffe-bar in conjunction withsaid wrest-piece between the group of said tuning-pins and wrest-piecebridge.

It has heretofore been the practice to have bar H in opposition to shorttreble strings F near bridge D adjacent to the hammer-line; but if saidbar be located farther from said bridge nearer the group of tuning-pinsG, as herein shown, the result will be a greater vibration of saidstrings and proportionate sustaining of their tones when they are struckby corresponding hammers.

A feature of my invention consists in providing the wooden bridge E witha metal rod 1 or sections of such a rod under the strings F crosswise ofthe same and utilizing an agraffe-bar J, similar to the one, H,aforesaid, in conjunction with said bridge, the result of thisconstruction and arrangement of parts being greater brilliancy of tonequality on the part of said strings.

A supplemental bridge K is employed intermediate of bridge E andstring-plate (J, this bridge being herein shown as preferably in postconnection with an auxiliary sounding-board L, each post M beingextended through an aperture provided in the main sounding-board.However, it is practical to utilize the supplemental bridge inconnection with the main sounding-board, the result in either case beingto prolong vibration of strings F when the same are struck.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a piano, a main sounding-board and bridge thereon, a string-plate,an auxiliary sounding-board, and a supplemental bridge in postconnection with the auxiliary sounding-board under short treble stringsintermediate of the main sounding-board bridge and string-plate, each ofsaid strings being strained on both bridges.

2. In a piano, the wrest-piece, the wrestpiece bridge, the tuning-pins,the string-plate, the short treble strings connecting said pins andplate, the agrafie-bar in conjunction with said wrest-piece, thesounding-board bridge provided with metal contacts crosswise of saidstrings, an agraffe-bar in conjunction with said sounding-board bridgebetween said contacts and string-plate, a supplemental sounding-boardand a bridge in connection with this supplemental sounding-boardintermediate of the main sounding-board bridge and aforesaidstring-plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukeeand State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

BELA K. KORIK.

Witnesses:

N. E.-OLIPHANT, B. C. ROLOFF.

